Nyerere Foundation could also offer awards to African heroes

The president accompanied an Egyptian delegation from the Kemet Boutros Ghali, a foundation named after the late Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali, the first secretary general of the United Nations to come from Africa, followed later by Ghanaian statesman the late Dr Kofi Annan. Dr Salim served for 12 years in the same position for the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), compensating his being vetoed by the United States in1982 for the UN position.

This is the second time in the past two years that international awards for peace and understanding around the world have been handed to Dr Salim, as earlier it was the Chinese embassy which handed a life time recognition as a friend of the People’s Republic of China. He played a key liaison role in mobilising the Africa caucus of the UN General Assembly to restore the rightful seat of China to the government of Mainland China rather than the island of Taiwan. Change was in the air, so the resolution wasn’t vetoed.

As to the award from Kemet Boutros Ghali, his contributions at the UN are definitely on the horizon but it would appear his more direct regional contributions come of hand, for instance his long stewardship of the OAU. He was a bridge builder of at least the North Africa camp and the South of the Sahara camp, in part owing to his diplomatic skills but had a fair likelihood of being heard as he is culturally close to the Arab speaking part of Africa. This also helped his drive towards the UN chief executive seat, but just that.

As we mark 60 years of independence, having Dr Salim among us is a pleasure that makes all of the more adult generation especially proud, as in large measure he was the country’s \lodestar’ aside from the first phase president, Dr Julius Nyerere. Despite that politically he came from the Umma Party in Zanzibar rather than Afro-Shirazi Party, but like his erstwhile mentor the late Prof. Abdulrahman Mohamed Babu who was a cabinet minister for years, he was assigned as envoy first to India and then to the UN. It was to be his lasting diplomatic legacy but he did equally well as Foreign minister, premier and then at the OAU.

The Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation could reciprocate for this award and do something to show Tanzania’s appreciation for a few of those who greatly contributed to shaping our 60 years of independence, within the region and slightly beyond. The names aren’t particularly wanting, and they could be assisted in that regard by the Mwalimu Nyerere Chair of Pan-African Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam. Neither Mwalimu nor Dr Salim did excellent work in a vacuum; we can make a few recognitions too.